I was blown away when I finally saw the changes made during the summer when the basement was completely remodeled.

How could I not have known about this? And why did I just now notice it?

It hit me how little I know about my school. My days are usually spent in the same three or four buildings on campus, with only short commutes in between. I never seem to stray from the pattern.

Our campus is home to more than 500 buildings, including a planetarium, golf course, museum and even a preforming arts theater. All those buildings amount to more than 22 million square feet of space on campus. Yet many of us stick to only a few areas.

For most students, falling into a routine is an easy thing to do. You get a feel for your schedule, learning the best spots to stop for food and which walking path is fastest. You become a machine, finely tuned to your daily schedule. This can be good if you’re short on time, but it takes away from the true Spartan experience.

If students follow the same routine each day, they won’t be able to fully appreciate all that this campus has to offer. They might not even realize the new changes that are made to the campus each year, such as the new plaza that replaced Morrill Hall, built in the shadow of the building that shared its name. Or stumbled upon the cafeteria in Shaw Hall, which was remodeled this past year.

These renovations were made for students to enjoy, however most of them sit empty and don’t get the traffic they truly deserve.

Every night I walk past the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum. When I peer through the small windows of the odd building I hope to see droves of students admiring the unique collection of masterpieces on display. Yet my eye only catches empty space. It is these kinds of places that deserve to be discovered.

So, learn from my mistakes like I have. Don’t create a routine that you follow every day. Instead, break away from the norm, take a different path, maybe spend a few minutes and explore a new building. Get to know the campus around you, and step outside your comfort zone. You never know what you will find.

After all, variety is the spice of life.